Sarwar Must Come Out of Hiding on Austerity
The SNP has challenged Anas Sarwar to “come out of hiding and order Scottish Labour MPs to oppose the Labour government’s shameful cuts to disabled people“.
It comes after five Scottish Labour MPs signed a letter supporting the cuts to thousands of disabled people across Scotland.
The Labour MPs, including Blair McDougall, Gregor Poynton, Joani Reid, Graeme Downie and Frank McNally, backed the £6 billion of Labour government cuts to the incomes of disabled people in Scotland on the same day that dozens of disability and poverty charities wrote to the Chancellor warning of the ‘catastrophic’ impact the cuts would have.
The letter from the charities, including Disability Rights UK, Scope, Mencap, Mind, Citizens Advice and more, warns “making cuts to disability benefits would have a catastrophic impact on disabled people up and down the country. Scope’s analysis of government figures shows that without PIP, a further 700,000 more disabled households could be pushed into poverty. Life costs more for disabled people. Huge numbers already live in poverty as a result of these extra costs. The impact of any cuts to disability benefits would be devastating.”
For a Labour government to be targeting disability benefits in this way is disgraceful.
GRAEME
Their leader in Scotland was famously clear: “read my lips, no austerity under Labour”.
Once again the Labour Party has lied to voters, and now intends to see the most vulnerable in our society pay for their appeal to the reactionary right.
This is the latest in a long line of betrayals of what Labour supposedly stand for – Anas Sarwar must show some backbone and stand up to this continuing slide rightward.
